BJP hits back at Rahul, says Congress spread hatred

Jammu: In a scathing attack, BJP today hit back at Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi over his remarks that BJP spread anger among people, saying as per facts, it was Congress which did so. “Congress pretends to be ‘secular’ but it is actually quite communal. Its hand is soaked in the blood of every community — Hindu, Muslim and Sikh,” BJP’s state election media in-charge and spokesperson Arun Kumar Gupta said.[caption id=“attachment_1823383” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Attacking Congress. Reuters[/caption] “The facts and figures are saying that it is Congress which spread hatred and anger among the people. Congress always tries to scare people on the name of secular and communal lines,” he said. Attacking Rahul, Gupta cited riots since the independence (Bengal Riots 1947) and said all these happened when Congress was in power. In these riots, almost 15,000 people lost their lives. Who can forget the Nellie Massacre in Assam 1983 in which the unofficial toll goes well above 5,000, he said. “Not to mention the atrocities during the 1975 emergency imposed by Indira Gandhi in which Congress killed or witnessed the killing of people from almost all sections of the Indian population. May be that is why Congress claims to be ‘secular’ — because it treats all communities with equal disrespect,” he he said. Yesterday, addressing a rally in Poonch, Rahul had said that “BJP and NDA government cause rifts between people. They spread anger, make big promises and get power. These BJP leaders sit behind the security wall, and when the people experience violence they don’t get affected”. Congress did not stop here and during the rule of UPA 1 and UPA 2. Congress leaders kept on playing with precious lives of people for their political gain, Gupta said. “Assam Riots 2012, Bharatpur Riots 2011, Dharbhanga Riots 2010, Dhule Riots 2008 and Aligarh Riots 2006 tell their story. Since 1967, 15 major incidences of communal violence took place out of which ten happened under Congress- or Congress’s ally-ruled region,” he added. In 2013, 479 incidents of communal violence took place which left 107 people dead 1,647 people, including 200 policemen, injured. In 2012, there were 640 incidents of communal violence with 93 deaths and 2,067 injured, he said. It is worth noting that during Congress rule in Gujarat, there used to be communal riots every year, during the annual Rath Yatra, he said. “However, there has been no incident during the last more than 12 years of BJP rule. The people of J&K cannot forget the Kishtwar riots which are still fresh in their minds and in which none if the guilty has been either identified or bought to the book. The aggrieved parties are still waiting for justice,” he said. Though ruling Congress party has had no political alliance with religious fundamentalist groups, it has consistently failed to maintain peace and stability in the country, he said. PTI